Microsoft vs. MikeRoweSoft.com

Microsoft once sued a student named Mike Rowe for registering the domain 'MikeRoweSoft.com'.

Microsoft is one of the largest corporations in the world, and their software can be found most computers.

One individual, a Canadian 12th grade high-school student named Mike Rowe, found himself in the crosshairs of Microsoft's legal team when he registered the phonetically similar 'MikeRoweSoft.com'.

Rowe claims that he originally registered the domain name for his part-time web design business and added 'soft' to the end of it because of the phonetic pun.

Microsoft offered Rowe a $10 settlement for ownership of the domain, however, Rowe was bemused at their low offer and countered with a request for $10,000. They declined.

The case garnered widespread negative publicity for Microsoft from people who thought that the lawsuit was too heavy-handed for a high school student. Rowe received an influx of support from people, including pver $6,000 in donations. At one point, after an influx of 250,000 visitors, the website itself had to be taken down and moved to servers with greater traffic capacity.

The case was resolved outside of court and Microsoft assumed control of the domain. Microsoft paid all of Rowe's expenses, including fees incurred in the setup of the website and subsequent redirection to MikeRoweForums.com after the settlement. He also received a subscription to Microsoft's Developer Network, fully-paid trip to the firm's Research Tech Fest, training for certification from Microsoft, and even an Xbox with an assortment of games.